Short & Long Term Disability Cases We’ve Won for Our Clients in New York
Fields Law Firm successfully recovers millions of dollars each year for our disabled clients throughout the United States. Our Long Term Disability experience is matched by very few other law firms in the country and has earned us a national reputation.
Here are just a few examples of our Long Term Disability appeal and lawsuit case wins in New York.
Marci – Bank Operations Specialist – Buffalo, New York
Back Pain, Spinal Cord Impingement
A bank operations specialist from New York was in a serious car accident. She was rear-ended and her car was violently sandwiched between the car that hit her and the car in front of her. After the accident, she was unable to stay in her chair at work due to severe discomfort and soreness. An MRI revealed that she had damage to her vertebrae and spinal cord at three different levels. Her doctor recommended leaving work. She applied for Long Term Disability benefits but Unum denied her claim, stating that she did not suffer any acute injury.
Shocked by Unum’s decision, she called Fields Law Firm for help. Our team gathered all our client’s medical records and the Fields Law attorneys drafted a strong appeal to Unum. The appeal highlighted important records that they had missed, including one doctor who said our client was 75% disabled and recommended she stop work immediately. Based on these records, the Fields Law attorneys drafted a strong legal argument on appeal that our client’s injury was acute and disabling. Unum changed its mind and granted benefits and our client received a lump-sum payment for backpay and ongoing monthly income.
Dorota – Sales and Marketing Representative – Maspeth, New York
Anxiety, IBS, Neuropathy, Migraines, Degenerative Disc Disorder
A sales and marketing representative from New York began experiencing anxiety and migraines. The medication prescribed to combat her anxiety gave her severe gastrointestinal distress which only exacerbated her anxiety. Combined with chronic back pain, her conditions made it impossible to work. Her insurer approved her for Long Term Disability benefits initially, but then stopped payments after seven months. Anthem Life said she could return to work because she was no longer disabled.
Worried about her lost income, she called Fields Law Firm for help. We gathered all our client’s medical records and our attorneys examined them closely. It turned out the insurance company mis-analyzed the cumulative effect of our client’s ailments and did not grasp the full impact of our client’s condition. Our attorneys filed an appeal to Anthem Life, and the insurer reversed the denial. Our client received a lump-sum check for back-pay and ongoing monthly benefits. She is pleased to be done fighting her insurer, and is happy with the representation from Fields Law Firm.
John – Associate in Operational Finance – Cicero, New York
Alcoholism
An Operational Finance Associate who worked for a large corporation suffered from severe and debilitating alcoholism. As a result, he was unable to continue to perform his job. His Long Term Disability insurer denied his claim, alleging that there was no evidence to support that his alcoholism was impairing.
Unaware how to fight The Hartford, he found the attorneys at Fields Law. Our team reviewed all of the records The Hartford had and requested updated medical records. We also obtained a report from our client’s treating psychiatrist which highlighted that our client could not work with his condition. On appeal, The Hartford reversed their decision and reinstated the payment of monthly benefits. Our client was pleased to hear that he was going to have the income he needed to get by while he worked on getting healthy once again.
